Sharp Aquos LC-52LE640U 52-Inch Internet TV

At $1,400, Sharp's take on "Smart TV" isn't necessarily the most feature-rich experience, but it gets the job done, and for considerably cheaper than most other systems. In recent years, Sharp decided to go big, making this sizable TV on the small side for the brand and a great option if you want to go really big. Overall system performance on this rare 52-inch size was second only to a 55-inch LG we tested at $3,400.

The 52-inch Aquos boasts great picture quality, portraying vivid detail during our light test scenes from Avatar and The Dark Knight. Dimly lit scenes were great as well, and black level contrast was among the best of the TVs in our test. The Sharp really excelled when it came to operating speed, starting up and loading apps quicker than most other systems in our test. (This tends to be a common complaint among other Smart TVs.) Sound quality tied for the best, and energy consumption tied for the least amount of any TV so you should save a few dollars on your energy bill too.

When it came to ease of use, however, we found the Sharp somewhat lacking. The Smart TV interface isn't the most intuitive. Rather than a dedicated home 'app hub' screen like most other systems, the TV has a "Smart Central" banner that scrolls across the bottom of the screen. While it's certainly functional and unobtrusive, the bar doesn't convey the advanced, full experience of other TVs. It also becomes cumbersome to navigate using the up/down/right/left arrows. And while other manufacturers excelled with sleeker remotes with integrated keyboards, Sharp's controller remains almost unchanged.

For a decent experience, great picture quality and an excellent value the Sharp won't disappoint, even if it does lack the finesse of other machines. Like several other TV's in this category, we'd recommend a wireless keyboard to simplify your user experience.